Grab bucket



Jan. 2, 1934. w Q SWALLEY 1,941,515

GRAB BUCKET Filed July 5, 1932 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 STATES GRAB BUCKET Application July 5, 1932.

(Cl. .R7- 186) Claims.

This invention relates to a grab bucket and especially to a grab bucket of the clam-shell type, wherein a weighted hinge or lower sheave block acts to open the scoops or jaws when the closing rope is released and the bucket is suspended by the holding rope.

An object of the invention is to provide in a grab bucket improved means for maintaining the lower1 sheave block of the bucket in the proper position at all times, that is, improved means to prevent said lower sheave block from tilting or becoming misaligned when the jaws of the bucket are either closed or opened.

Another object is to provide in a grab bucket means for maintaining the lower sheave block level when the bucket is closed, which means is detachable from the bucket and may, therefore, be replaced when broken or worn.

A further object is to provide in a grab bucket means for maintaining the lower sheave block level when the bucket is opened, which means is so constructed and so located as not to be readily broken in use.

Another object is to provide in a grab bucket means for maintaining the lower sheave block level, which means is so constructed and located that if it should become broken it will not be necessary to replace the block.

A further object is to provide a grab bucket which is of simple Construction and wherein the maintenance cost of the bucket will be maintained at a minimum.

Additional and further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter during the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein,

vFigure l is a side elevational view of a grab bucket showing the scoops or jaws closed;

Fig'. 2 is an end elevational View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the bucket showing the scoops or jaws in the open position; n

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View of the bucket taken from just above the lower sheave or hinge block, and

f thereto and to corner brackets 13 that extend Serial No. 620,763

beyond the scoops and receive pins 13a upon which corner bars 14 are pivoted at their lower ends. The scoops or jaws 10 and the bands 11 and l2 overlap and are secured to hinge plates l5 which plates are hingedly connected to a low- 60 er sheave block, later to be referred to. The corner bars 14 at one end of the bucket are pivot-ally connected at their upper ends to a head or upper sheave block 16, while the corner bars le at the other end of the bucket are xedly connected at their upper ends to bearing plates 1'7, which in turn are either integral with or secured to the head 16.

The head i6 rotatably supports closing sheaves 1S, while the holding or hoisting rope for the 70 bucket is secured in a socket 19 formed on the head. The head 16 is also provided with elongated spaced guide rollers 2i) for the closing rope or cable. A hinge or lower sheave block 2l, to which the'hinge plates l5 are connected, com- 75 prises an upper portion constituting the lower sheave block proper and a lower portion in the nature or" a counterweight which serves to open the jaws of the bucket when the closing rope is released and the bucket is suspended by the holding rope. The lower sheave block has rotatably arranged therein sheaves 22 which, with the sheaves i8 in the head 16, have the closing rope or cabie 23 reeved therearound with one end of the rope or cable iXedly secured in the head 15 and the free end thereof passing through the head and between the guard rolls 20, as is well understood. The construction of the bucket, as thus far setvforth, is old and well known and further or more detailed description thereof is unnecessary.

In operating buckets of this character, it is desirable that means be provided to hold the lower sheave block and the hinge pins for the hinge plates in substantially a horizontal plane when the jaws are opened or closed and to prevent the block from rotating or tipping sideways when the tension or pull on the closing rope is released. Heretofore, this has been accomplished by providing two stops or lugs on each end of the hinge or lower sheave block, which stops or lugs were caught between the hinge plates so as to force the block to assume a horizontal position when the bucket was either wide open or entirely closed. The difficulty with this arrangement resides in the fact that the lugs or stops are frequently broken oir" in the strenuous use to which buckets of this character are subjected. and especially since the lower block is usually an iron casting. The result was that the entire lower block would have to be replaced when the lugs or stops were thus broken oil? and, therefore, the maintenance cost of the bucket was greatly increased, as well as rendering the bucket unt for service until the block had been replaced.

The present invention contemplates a novel arrangement for leveling the lower block when the bucket is in the open position and one wherein there exists no danger or injuring the block or of necessitating the complete replacement thereof with a new block. As shown in the drawing there are four hinge plates 15 and these plates are pivotally connected to the lower block 21 by means of two hinge pins 24 extending transversely through the block. A lug 25 is formed on each of two diagonally opposite hinge plates y sheave block 2l.

15 and is so arranged as to engage the hub portion of the other hinge plate on the same side of the block 21 when the jaws of the bucket are inthe open position, which engagement results in positioning the two hinge pins or shafts 2e and the lower sheave block 2l on a substantially level or horizontal plane when the bucket is wide open. Since the lugs 25 are integral with the steel hinge plates 15 and also because the lugs 25 contact with the hub portion of the other hinge plates during the opening of the jaws with a rolling en- ,I gagement as distinguished from an abrupt or positive engagement, it will be noted that the lugs will not be liable to be broken during use and hence the maintenance cost of the bucket will be materially lowered. The hinge plates 15 on each side of the bucket are provided with contacting portions 26 and 27 which limit the opening of the bucket and assist in maintaining the hinge pins 24 and the lower sheave block 21 in a substantially level position.

. In order to maintain the hinge pin-s 24 and the lower sheave block 21 in a substantially level or horizontal plane when the bucket is closed and further to prevent twisting of the lower sheave block at such time, it is proposed to employ a removable stop which may be in the form of a bar 28 secured to the underside of the sheave block 21 and projecting beyond the sides thereof, so as to lie between and be closely adjacent to inwardly extending ribs 15a formed along the adjacent edges of the hinge plates 15, as clearly illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 5. The lower sheave b lock 21 is provided in its underside with a channel ,inA which fits the bar 28 and with upwardly extending openings aligning with the channel for the purpose 4of receiving bolts 29 carried by the bar 28 and of such length as to extend outwardly of the block 21 adjacent the bearing supports for the sheaves 22. Nuts 30, secured on the bolts 29, serve to rigidly connect the bar 28 to the lower T t will be seen that, when the jaws or scoops of the buckets are closed, the opposite ends of the bar 28 will lie between the flanges 15a of the hinge plates l5 and in such close proximity to such flanges that should any tilting or twisting of the lower sheave block take place, the bar 28 will immediately engage with the flanges 15a and, therefore, stop such tilting or twisting movement. Should the bar 28 become broken it may be readily removed from the hinge block and a new bar secured thereto, thus obviating the necessity of replacing the hinge block with a new block and delaying the use of the bucket for only a minimum amount of time.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of various modifications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins on each side of said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotally connected by said pins to each side 01 said block, and jaws associated with said members, certain of said members being provided with lugs arranged to engage the hub portions of other of said members when said members are swung outwardly to open the bucket.

2. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins extending through said biock, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotally connected by said pins to each side of said block, and jaws associated with said members, one of the hinge members of each pair being provided with a lug arranged to engage the hub portion or" the other member of the pair when said members are swung outwardly to open the bucket.

3. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins on each side of said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotaliy connected by said pins to each side of said block, and jaws associated with said members, the hinge plates at diagonally opposite sides of the block. being provided with lugs arranged to engage the hub portions of the other plates when the bucket is opened.

4. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge members pivotally connected to each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, and a detachable stop carried by said block and arranged between the members of a pair of members.

5. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge members pivotally connected to each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, and stop means arranged between the members of each pair of members and detachably carried by said block.

6. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge members pivotally connected to each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, a bar extending transversely of said block beneath the same and having its opposite ends arranged between the members of each pair of members, and means for detachably connecting said bar to said block.

'.7. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge members pivotally connected to each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, said block being provided on its under side with a channel extending transversely thereof, a bar arranged in said channel and having its opposite ends projecting outwardly of the sides of said block and lying between the members of each pair of members, and means for detachably securing said bar in said channel.

8. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheavev block, a pair of hinge pins on each side of said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portio'ns pivotally connected to each side of said block by said pins, jaws associated with said members, certain of said members being provided with lugs arranged to engage the hub portions of other of said members when said members are swung outwardlyto open the bucket, and a stop carried by said block and arranged between the members of a pair of members.

9. A grab bucket comprising Va lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins extending through said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotally connected by said pins to each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, one of the hinge members of each pair of members being provided with a lug arranged to engage the hub portion of the other member of the pair when the bucket is opened and stop means arranged between the members of each pair oi members and detachably carried'by said block.

l0. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins extending through said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotally connected by said pins to each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, the hinge members at diagonally opposite sides of the block being provided with lugs arranged to engage the hub portions of the other members when the bucket is opened, a bar eX- tending transversely of said block beneath the same and having its opposite ends arranged between the members of each pair of members, and means for detachably connecting said bar to said block.

11. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins on each side of said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotaily connected by said pins toI each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, the hinge members at diagonaily opposite sides of the block being provided with lugs arranged to engage the hub portions of the other members when the bucket is opened, and a stop carried by said block and arranged between the members of a pair of members. v

l2. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave lock, a pair of hinge pins extending through said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotally connected to each side of said block by said pins, jaws associated with said members, one of said members being provided with a lug arranged to engage the hub portion of another ci said members when said members are swung outwardly to open the bucket, and a bar detachabiy carried by said block and extending transversely thereof beneath the same and having its opposite ends arranged between the members of each pair of members.

13. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins extending through said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivofaliy connected to each side of said block by said pins, jaws associated with said members, one of said members being provided with a lug arranged to engage the hub portion of another of said members when said members are swung outwardly to open the bucket, said block being provided on its under side with a channel extending transversely thereof, a bar arranged in said channel and having its opposite ends projecting outwardly of the sides of said biock and lying between the members of each pair of members, and means for detachably securing said bar in said channel.

le. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins extending through said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotally connected by said pins to each side of said block, jaws associated with said members, the hinge members at diagonally opposite sides of the block being provided with lugs arranged to engage the hub portions of the other members when the bucket is opened, and stop means arranged between the members of each pair oi members and detachably carried by said block.

l5. A grab bucket comprising a lower sheave block, a pair of hinge pins o-n each side of said block, a pair of hinge members having hub portions pivotally connected by said pins to each side of said block, and jaws associated with said members, one of said members being provided with a lug arranged to engage the hub portion of another of said members when said members are swung outwardly to open the bucket.

WILLIAM C. SWALLEY. 

